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One of the great pleasures in life is getting a long weekend. Really. Jonji and I both had a four-day weekend this past week due to President’s Day, which was especially nice for me because my Mondays are usually very full. Valentine’s Day also happened to fall on this long weekend, which simply allowed me to feel as though I could get away with spending a little less time on homework. Not that we did anything very crazy with the extra time. We did go to the beach on Sunday—I’m sure everyone who was there is still seeing our blindingly white silhouettes burned onto their retinas. We spent a couple hours soaking up some much-needed sun, reading (I read my nerdy book while he got all productive and read flash cards), and playing around with a volleyball.

We ate dinner at Maple Block, a relatively new restaurant just a few blocks down the street from us. It’s focused on meat, but I think the frisee salad with goat cheese, cranberries, fennel, and apple was the star of the show. Since it was so busy, we had to sit at a communal table and listen to a family gripe about receiving a half-pound of meat instead of the ordered pound, for fifteen minutes. Once the waiter came back to fix the problem they decided to stick with the half-pound, after all. So pleasant. But dinner was great, on the whole, and the night ended well at home with a bowl of my brownies-and-cream ice cream each and a couple episodes of Arrow.

The rest of the weekend was productive, with lots of homework time and quite a bit of cooking. I had to make 10 different representations of the Mona Lisa using guidelines I made up a couple of weeks before. I also picked some of the narcissus that have been popping right up in my little garden, which was very exciting, for me. Jonji studied and did all the other million things he’s taken on, plus he started the process of picking his schedule for rotations during third year. Kitty played with her mini tennis ball and lounged right next to me while I did computer work. I’ll let you decide who was most productive.

Since it was just Valentine’s Day, here’s a little recipe by the person I celebrated it with. Jonji started making these tacos a long time ago as a snack when we had little leftovers to eat, and now I make (or request) them because they’re just so delicious. I know the idea might sound a little odd, but I urge you to face your fears and have a go at this one.

Jonji’s Quick Egg Tacos

makes 2 tacos

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp salt
2 corn tortillas
2 eggs
salt

Optional toppings:
cilantro
sour cream
cotija cheese
chopped jalapeños
hot sauce

Heat 1 tbsp butter and a glug of olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add the onion to the pan. Sprinkle with 1/4 tsp salt. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is soft and caramelized (no more than 8–10 minutes). Add the garlic and cook for another two minutes, stirring frequently. With the pan still on, push the onion/garlic to the side of the pan, pour another glug of oil into the empty space, and then heat the two tortillas on the pan (it will be crowded—just make sure to move them around so all sides get heated). Alternatively, heat the tortillas with a little olive oil in a separate pan.

Meanwhile, beat the eggs with a whisk. Once the tortillas are done, remove and set on a plate, then mix the eggs in with the onion/garlic, stir almost constantly, and cook until the eggs are done (I’ll leave it up to you how runny or otherwise you wish it to be). Divide the mixture between the two tortillas and sprinkle with salt. Top with cilantro leaves, sour cream, crumbled cotija cheese, and/or jalapeños to your liking (or don’t add anything!). Enjoy warm!